Must-Have Minestrone
A warm, hearty, hug in a bowl, chocked full of veg and goodness.
I shared this recipe on insta back in Autumn 2021 (hence the old house kitchen), as part of an ad with a tinned food initiative, and still to this day I’m asked to point people in the direction of the recipe. I even refer back to my own recipe as a reminder of exactly what I chucked in that day - it’s that good! (You can see the video here).
So, to kick off my recipe posts here, while we’re being bombarded with bugs and germs at this time of year, and cosy season is upon us (a nicer way of saying the ‘the weather’s shit and it’ll stay like this for another 5 months, so buckle up!’), it’s the perfect soup to up the veg intake, warm the cockles and cook at scale to feed the troops and their ravenous mates.
Plus, minestrone famously hails from Italy’s ‘blue zone’ where the folks live longer and healthier lives - so for that reason alone I think you should be making this one…
What you’ll need (serves 6-8)
Glug of Olive Oil
1 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Carrot
2 Chopped Celery Sticks
1x Chopped Courgette
130g Diced Pancetta Lardons (or chopped bacon will do) - this is optional.
2 Finely Chopped Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Tso Oregano
1/2 Tsp Thyme
400g of Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
400g Tinned, Drained Cannellini Beans
2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
1.5 Litre of Veg Stock
250ml Water
1 Bay Leaf
70g Soup Pasta or any small pasta/orzo/broken up spaghetti will do
150g Chopped Greens - I’ve used Cavallo Nero as it’s my fave, but savoy cabbage will do the trick
Grated Parmesan and Crusty Bread with Butter to serve
Method:
🫒Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat.
🥕Gently fry the onion, celery, carrot, courgette and pancetta for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. 🧄Add the garlic, oregano and thyme – cook for a further minute.
🥫Tip in the beans, chopped tomatoes, puree, stock, water and bay leaf; stir together and bring to a simmer.
🧂Turn the heat down to low-medium, season to taste and cook for 30 minutes – stirring occasionally.
🥬After 30 minutes of cooking, add the pasta and greens – stir together to combine and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
🥖Serve with buttery, crusty bread and a sprinkling of cheese.
🥣Feel the goodness.
